


And You Alone Can Make Enything Fall Into Place

by xLoveMx



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Or Is It?, Pining, Polymorph Shenanigans, Unrequited Love, Widojest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28491606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoveMx/pseuds/xLoveMx
Summary: It was easy to get lost in her eyes; he had always known that. It was easy to drown himself in the warmth, forgetting all of his troubles, even if it was just for a moment, which was the reason why Caleb usually chose to look at her whenever she wasn’t paying attention.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 10
Kudos: 65





	And You Alone Can Make Enything Fall Into Place

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write some polymorph shenanigans...and then it turned into pining. And then...the whole thing got away from me ( which is chaotically fitting for this ship ) so enjoy x

Caleb, whenever he retired to his room, had a habit of leaving the latches on the small doors open, so it would be easy for the spectral cats to enter his room. He tended to stay up late and read, or work on some spells, and knowing he’d get lost in his thoughts he had told them to bring him up some coffee or tea, depending on the time. It was rather convenient, because he’d end up forgetting the time, and he had often noticed what time it was simply because they had come by with another beverage.

So he wasn’t really surprised when he heard some shuffling and found that the door was moving. Putting his spell book aside, Caleb watched for a moment, wondering just how long he had sat there. They were still trying to beat Lucien to the next location, and whatever was waiting for them there, and he was trying to work out a spell that could help with that. He hadn’t quite been able to figure it out though, and he couldn’t deny that it was a little frustrating, especially since he could feel himself getting more and more tired, his focus shifting away from the pages and his vision blurring.

He was tired, both mentally and physically, and even though he was glad that he had found the Mighty Nein, he had to admit that a day’s travel with them took more away from him that he would have liked. Of course he got more out of it in the end than back when he had still been on the run, and yet he had been able to concentrate then, especially since he could now feel his thoughts drifting to Jester the more he let his defenses down, trying to shift his focus away from the walls he had built and towards trying to keep himself from falling asleep. It didn’t help that he sometimes dreamed about her, too, and dreams, as much as they pained him when he woke up, were a temptation, because it gave him not only a moment of peace, but also allowed Caleb to lose himself in wishful thinking, at least for a few hours.

Turning his attention back to the door, he noticed that a cat was poking its head out, glancing around. Caleb instantly realized that something was different though, because the cat wasn’t carrying a cup of tea, and it wasn’t one of the usual, spectral cats either. Instead the cat that now climbed out of the shaft had blue colored fur, and he tried his best to ignore the way his heart missed a beat.

He was aware that Jester was sometimes roaming the tower in her polymorphed form, but usually she got lost in the tunnels and eventually ended up in the library, so Caleb hadn’t planned on her actually finding her way up here, especially since he had assumed that she knew that people usually kept the doors in their rooms shut, unless they had ordered something.

“ _Meow_.” Jester seemed to be looking up at him almost expectedly now, and Caleb couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What are you doing here?” He then asked, almost automatically reaching out to scritch her ears, which earned him a purring sound. “You like that?”

It took him a moment to realize just how affectionate he was being, and Caleb instantly felt heat rising to his cheeks. He didn’t dare pull his hand back though, especially not because Jester seemed to actually enjoy what he was doing, pressing her head into his hand.

“ _Meow_.” Pulling back eventually she sat down, looking up at him once more and then back at the door she had come through, like she was waiting for the wheels in his head to finish turning.

“Oh, you want me to...?” Caleb asked, not even finishing the sentence before he chuckled again and then whispered a few words under his breath. Within seconds he had shifted from his human form into an orange striped cat, matching his friend.

If cats had been able to smile, he assumed Jester would have done exactly that. With another excited _meow_ she had jumped forward to rub her head against his side, and if Caleb had still been in his normal form, he would have probably blushed as well, but right now he found himself enjoying the affection, watching as Jester eventually pulled back and made her way over towards the door, dropping down into the shaft.

Following her, Caleb found himself inside the series of tunnels that connected all of the rooms. For a while he followed Jester, enjoying the way it was easy to just wander around aimlessly. He hadn’t really thought about exploring the tower this way, mainly because he knew every corner of it by heart anyway, he had created it after all, and yet there was something almost relaxing about simply walking about, occasionally running into one of the other cats, who were on their way to deliver various things into different rooms, including some hot cocoa and, curiously, chocolate covered bugs.

Eventually they both found themselves exiting the tunnels and walking along the sides of the huge, glass stained windows. Caleb could feel his thoughts drifting off again, when he suddenly caught sight of Jester turning back into herself just a few feet ahead of him. He watched as she stumbled, desperately doing her best to get a hold of something but failing. A fall from this height wouldn’t kill either of them, though it wouldn’t be pleasant, especially if Jester didn’t have any healing spells left, and waking Caduceus, explaining just why they needed healing, didn’t sound like a good idea. 

Dropping his own spells quickly, Caleb reached into his pocket to pull out a feather, before muttering a few words, and soon enough Jester and he were drifting through the air almost gently.

“Uh. Sorry.” She eventually muttered, as her feet touched the ground, face turned towards to watch Caleb descend the rest of the way. “I thought we would make it down before that happened,” Even in the dim light he noticed that she was blushing ever so slightly, and it made his heart stumble in his chest.

“It’s fine. I would have landed on you, so we’d be even for that time you dropped down onto me.” It seemed almost like a lifetime ago now, sneaking into Xhorhas and making a split-second decision that had probably saved their lives, and changed the course of two nations, stopping a war.

“I guess you figured out where to land on, huh?” Jester replied as she glanced up at him once more, and Caleb found that she wasn’t wrong. Within a year his goals had completely changed, and even though he still found himself interested in the magic that could bend reality to his will, he would have never done anything to change what he had gained, a new family. They weren’t like his old one at all, but they weren’t trying to be either, they were chaotic and maybe sometimes even stupid, and yet they had proven that they loved him, and he loved them just the same.

Jester though. Jester was different, and she always had been. She had snuck up on him without a warning, and before he had even been able to put any of his defenses up, she had long made it past them. Caleb had been sure that knowing what he had done would have been more than enough to turn her away, but she hadn’t budged, and instead greeted him with acceptance and a warm embrace, which was more than he deserved. In fact, he had instantly felt bad for assuming that she’d turn away from him, it had been foolish, but then he found that he was, in fact, a foolish human being in many ways.

“Caleb?” glancing down to where Jester had rested a hand on his arm, he found himself pulled from his thoughts once more. “If we fall, at least we fall together, right?” Jester then added, and there was a warmth to her smile that was so contagious that it spread through his chest, a smile tugging on the corners of his own lips.

“ _Ja_.” He then nodded, feeling Jester’s grip on his arm tighten just a little. There was so much more he wanted to say, like always, things between them staying left unsaid, but it wasn’t the right time, Caleb found feel it. If he said what was on his mind out loud now, then he wouldn’t be able to stop, and Jester deserved better than that. His own feelings were complicated, far beyond his own understanding even, and unloading it onto her wasn’t fair, especially since he knew she’d listen anyway. She’d take it all in and try to resolve it, but he wasn’t quite ready to lay it all bare. Maybe it was selfish, because keeping his feelings hidden meant that the little voice in the back of his head would continue to whisper to him every so often, telling him that he had a chance with her, when his keen mind told him that he didn’t, and yet it was easier to continue on for a little while, because it meant that they could spend time together like this, without either of them having to worry about anything.

“Would you like to hear another story? I found one that I’ve read a long time ago, there’s fewer illustrations, but I think you’d like it.” He eventually offered, watching as Jester’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Yes! We could get the cats to get us some hot cocoa!” She then exclaimed, her fingers intertwining with his effortlessly as she pulled him along, almost like they had never done anything else. “What is it about?”

Caleb’s heart stumbled again, but he followed her without any hesitation, feeling a warmth spreading through his chest at the sheer joy that radiated from Jester. Maybe being in love with her wasn’t all that bad, because he had found that the joy and love outweighed the jealously, which he felt whenever he noticed the way Fjord looked at her. Either of them, or anyone really, would have been lucky to end up with Jester, and Caleb wished nothing but happiness for her, whatever that might have looked like, and yet he was the one who found himself lucky enough to feel her hand in his, and maybe it wasn’t all that bad to enjoy the fact that she didn’t let go, not even when they walked along the shelves to find the book, her eyes scanning the names for anything Zemnian. And maybe it wasn’t bad that he passed the same shelf three times, just so he could feel Jester’s hand in his for a moment longer, before he eventually pulled the book out.

“ _Die Schneekönigin,”_ She then read, and though her pronunciation was a little off, Caleb found himself smiling a little. The cover was, once again, illustrated beautifully, and he reached out to run his fingers over it. “It’s a story about bravery and love.” He then replied in regards to her earlier question, his eyes meeting with Jester’s for a moment.

“I mean...you have to be brave if you love someone, right?” She then nodded, and for a moment they stood, the book in his hand almost forgotten.

It was easy to get lost in her eyes; he had always known that. It was easy to drown himself in the warmth, forgetting all of his troubles, even if it was just for a moment, which was the reason why Caleb usually chose to look at her whenever she wasn’t paying attention. He couldn’t risk Jester noticing that something was off, but sometimes he didn’t quite manage to tear his eyes away in time.

“ _Ja._ I’m...not very brave.” He eventually muttered, breaking their gaze and turning his eyes back towards the book, while he tried his best to ignore the way his stomach twisted just a little.

“I am though,” Jester replied, and before Caleb could even come up with anything to say, he suddenly felt her lips pressing against his. It took him a second to realize what was happening, his head spinning just a little. He almost dropped the book then, barely managing to hold onto it, his mind still catching up with what had happened. If he hadn’t still felt the touch of her lips on his, Caleb would have sworn that he was dreaming.

“I...uh. Sorry I didn’t...” Jester whispered; her cheeks tinted purple as she tried to turn away but had seemingly forgotten that she was still holding onto Caleb’s hand. Sos he easily found herself being pulled back against him then, their lips meeting in another kiss. Now Jester was the one who found herself surprised, but within seconds she had caught on, and now their kiss had become something different. They melted against each other, and suddenly it felt like the missing pieces of a puzzle were fitting together, as they tuned out the rest of the world around them.

“So...you are brave.” Jester eventually chuckled, pulling back slightly to look at him.

“And you figured out where to land on,” Caleb returned, his lips curved into a warm smile, and for the first time he didn’t feel guilty about the way his heart beat faster in his chest, because he could feel Jester’s, doing just the same.

“Took us long enough,” She then laughed, before kissing him again, and Caleb certainly didn’t complain.


End file.
